The misfortunes of my car while I am 6,000 miles away...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fr3DXlUzQMk&feature=youtube_gdata_player

My cousin is learning to drive using my car. I think my dad and brother are enjoying it too much. Lee, no jumping me car please. I know how much you love to do that.

Good job Gene! You are going to be a driving pro in no time!

Also, I love how you guys made a YouTube video of this whole experience just for me. Oh, and how I am blamed for the broken water line. I'm not responsible for my cars actions when I am 6,000 miles away!

Sooooo

I promise I will update this soon! Oh, and that I am still alive. I'll attach a picture to prove that I haven't been taken... Yet.

A Random Update

So, I should warn you that this is an utterly random update about a single event that occurred today. It will probably be rather boring for you, but this isn't your blog. I write what I want! Also, no worried emails dear family about the subject matter you will soon read.

As you may realize I do not have a car here in Spain. Instead, I rely on the public transportation system. My trips often revolve around the bus schedule. Because of that I don't stay in Madrid past 11:30pm as that is when the last bus leaves. Well, it says 11:55pm, but I did not want to risk missing it. There is a night bus, but I had no idea where I needed to get off or where to find the darn bus in the first place.

Guess what happened tonight. I conquered the night bus! Yeah, I am pretty proud of that.

Sophie and I went to see a movie in Madrid, but the only showing we could make was at 10:30pm. I was a little anxious, but I decided to squash those feelings and just go ahead and take a chance. Oh, we saw Antes Del Anochecer. Just in case you were wondering. It was also a rather good movie. But, that is besides the point! This isn't a movie review blog!

Moving on!

Sophie and I walked to the metro and said our goodbyes for the night. She and I take a different line. I arrived at Moncloa and had no idea where to go next. So, I followed the other people as they seemed to know. The only open exit took us outside, and I had no idea where to go from there. As luck would have it, the bus I needed happened to arrive at that very moment and stopped across the street. I again followed a huge crowd of people as we all waited to board the bus.

I had manages to successfully find and board the bus I needed; however, where to get off was a completly different matter. I knew that one stop was too far so I was going to just exit the stop before that one. Thank goodness I was actually paying attention or else I would have greatly over shot my home by a long ways! The stop I needed is actually right in front of the sports club, and is only a 10-15min walk to where I live. Which is a huge relief because I was worried that once I got off the bus I wouldn't know where to go!

The even better news of this story is I can now stay later in Madrid with friends without having to worry about catching my bus. Well, the metro stops at 1am apparently, but that's a different matter.

Also, is there anything quite as peaceful as walking under the moon in a quiet city and only hearing your own footsteps?

The Ups and Downs

Hello my beautiful, avid readers! What shall I inform of you first? My Spanish is still muy mal. Oh woe is me! Will I ever get the hang of this language? I swear my tongue works against me as it refuses to make the sounds needed of it.

I have also been quite ill with homesickness. Such a sad sickness really. It often involves teary eyes and a sadden soul. Now, it is not that I don't love Madrid. I think it is a lovely city, and I am enjoying my adventures out into it. It doesn't prevent that longing for my own niche I've made some 6,000 miles away. I am filled with a longing for the loved ones that are back home (that are eagerly awaiting for my return). I miss my family, my friends, and of course mi amor (Estabon!). I know it is not an uncommon thing to be homesick, and everyone tells me that it will pass. However, I think that I will constantly miss my loved ones. I may have the travel bug buried inside me, but I am still quite a homebody as well. I will enjoy my time here, but I will also be counting down the days until my feet touch California once more.

Well, shall we move on to less depressing topics?

Today I ventured out into Aranjuez with a wonderful girl named Sophie. She is another au pair here, but she is from Ireland (the lucky lass!). We took the train which was a great experience in itself. I love train rides and this was my first here! We got off on the wrong stop, but that is what exploring is about right? Making wrong turns here and there, but finding things you never thought of before. We waited for the next train and jumped on once more. Three stops later we were at our destination! It is a beautiful place about 40 minutes south of Madrid. Do not fret! I will attach pictures below. So demanding...

Anywho! We got a late start and arrived there maybe past 5pm or so. Our first priority was to find food as we were both starved. Finding food was quite the challenge. Everywhere was closed! Hours here are so different than the US. We finally found a place, but the kitchen was closed for another 15-20 minutes. So, we ordered some cold cokes and they gave us some chips.  Oh, another thing that is different here than back home is that refills on drinks cost money. Which is terrible for me because when I get hot I gulp down my drink. Which I did today... It is a strange thing to miss about home, but I miss my refills! When I return I shall be like Thor and shout "ANOTHER" every time my drink is finished. Okay, back on track! We got our food and fed our tummies. Once our tummies were quite happy we went to explore the Royal Palace and the beautiful gardens. It really was quite beautiful. I think it is my favorite place so far here in Spain. I could spend hours there. Before it got too late we jumped back on the train and headed back to Madrid.

I suppose that is all for now. Next weekend I am going out with Sophie again, but this time to hang out by a lake. That will be fantastic considering it is so hot here I am pretty sure I am going to just melt into a puddle.

Officially finished my first week in Madrid

Okay, so today (or yesterday now) marked a full seven days since I arrived here in Madrid. I have been here for a whole week! Wow, it doesn't feel like its been a week. The days really are flying by. I am trying to plan a trip to Barcelona this month and it feels like this month is going to be over in no time at all!

You might be wondering what has happened since my last post. Well, fret not my dear ones for I shall tell you of my adventures. First and foremost, you should know that I started a Spanish class! Hooray! I've already picked up quite a bit in the week I have been here just by being constantly exposed to it. Tonight (or last night) I had my first class and it was great! The teacher is fantastic! I was a bit worried, but he is a very funny and patient teacher. In my class there are about 16 students. Only two of us are American. Most of the class is made up of people from Poland and China. All the students are great! They are all very helpful and a cheerful bunch. I am very pleased with the class I am! Hopefully, I will soon be speaking Spanish!

Oh! Random tidbit time. I learned today that I speak Spanish with a Mexican accent, and I need to stop it. I need to practice, practice, practice to break away from that habit. It is subtle things like how they say gracias. My tongue needs to be pushed between my teeth when I get to the "ci" part of gracias. Also, I need to learn to make the hard "r" sound which also involves my tongue, but this time it touches the inside of my top front teeth. My poor tongue... It isn't use to making these sounds. I will get it down though!

Next, I went into Madrid last Saturday and happened upon the Pride Day celebrations. It was amazing! There were so many people. They had roads closed down, and they were just filled with people. I've never been to something that big before. It was quite the experience. I will attach pictures below.

On Sunday I went out with an au pair from Poland. We wandered around Madrid for several hours. She had a handy map that showed all the famous places that tourist want to see when they are in Madrid. So, we started walking and saw practically all of them. I will post pictures of the places I saw below.

Be forewarned, some of the tile that makes the sidewalk is loose and it caused me to trip and actually hurt my foot. It has been painful to walk for the past couple days, but carry on I must! My host mother says it is not uncommon for people to fall in Madrid and actually break something. Which doesn't surprise me because everywhere you look there is someone with a cast on. I really hope I am not next...

Well, when I wake up tomorrow I will be beginning my second week here in Madrid. Only 11 more weeks left abroad!

My First Week in Madrid

Hello my dear avid readers. I am very sorry for my lack of updates. I am afraid that I have been settling down here, and by the time I got a chance to write a blog I was utterly exhausted! I will try my best to fill you in on what has happened these past few days. I don't even know what day it is...My host mother said that it was Saturday tomorrow and I was shocked. I didn't even realize that I've been here for four days already.

Okay, so my lost post I was waiting for my flight to Madrid in Dublin. Can I just say that waiting for 8 hours in an airport when you are just exhausted is not fun. Not fun at all. I just wanted to sleep, but it was so cold. In fact, when I was finally able to board my plane I still couldn't sleep because it was so cold. I got a few minutes here and there, but I would wake up freezing. Oh, and I woke up right before we landed with a upper and lower lip swollen on one side. Also remember that I haven't been able to wash my hair since early Monday morning. So, Tuesday night I met my host mother at the airport in Madrid looking like a mess. Nice. Off to a good start...

Do not fret though! My host mother is very sweet and caring. I couldn't have been given a better host mother. The children are absolutely adorable. A bit overwhelming as they yell at each other in Spanish. But, they are good kids who are also very sweet. They are now introducing me as their sister!

If you don't know, I am living in Las Rozas de Madrid. That is just outside of Madrid itself. On Wednesday I went with a girl named Eylo into Madrid. She showed me how to take the bus and the metro. I bought passes for both (Yay). We went into Sol. I'm sorry, it is now Vodafone Sol... The Spaniards are not happy with the new name change. Vodafone is a mobile company here in Europe. Anyways, what I saw of Madrid in those few short hours was fantastic. It is absolutely beautiful here! It feels strange walking around a European city though. A good strange.

I haven't had tapas yet, but I had this delicious treat. It was watermelon juice with frozen yogurt, fruit sauce, and fresh mangos. Eylo has one too, but with orange juice. Oh! Orange juice here is delicious. I squeeze oranges for my breakfast. Best orange juice I've ever had.I have tried a lot of delicious Spanish food though thanks to my host moms wonderful cooking. I hope I can remember how to make some of the delicious to impress all of you back home.

As far as my Spanish is concern, I am picking it up rather fast. The mother is constantly telling me what things are in Spanish and how to say something in a sentence. The kids are eager to help and they usually speak in Spanish to me. I try to read anything I can and figure out the meaning. I should be registering for a class for the month of July. I would August, but we are going on a trip. The mom has a lot of antique history books that she says I can read once my Spanish is up to it! Incentive!

Lets see... What else, what else. Oh! I may be joining a sports club. That should also help with my Spanish. I have plans this weekend with another au pair. Well, I need to get to bed. It is 2:40am here. I will attach some pictures though! Now that I am settling in I will be able to post more! Oh! One more thing. Time here is crazy. I kept saying afternoon meaning one thing, but to Spaniards it is a whole different time period. Morning here doesn't end until 2pm. Afternoon ends at 9pm. Lunch is at 2-3pm and dinner is at 9-10pm. The kids don't go to bed till 12-1am.

 Picture above is of a street I passed by. I thought it was very beautiful. You may not think so, but this isn't your blog is it? So enjoy the picture!

 This is a picture of the royal palace. Didn't even notice the lovely couple until I loaded the pictures onto my computer.

                                              A statue that is in front of the royal palace.

                                                          The royal palace...again!

This is rather neat! Can you tell what type of architecture this is? If you guessed Egyptian then you are correct! It is called the Temple of the Debod. Beautiful! 

Well, Shoot...

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

Okay, so I didn't sleep a wink last night on the place. They kept coming by with coffee, and it was just too yummy to say no. I wasn't thinking! I tried to sleep, but couldn't. Then the sun came up right when we were going over Ireland and I didn't want to miss seeing as much as I could from the air. Which by the way, I am glad I did have my forehead pressed up against the window. The view was beautiful! I would absolutely love to move here. The fields are so green! When the wind would blow it would look like a sea of just pure green. Gorgeous! Not to mention the lovely cloudy weather! Yeah, people think I am weird when I say that but I love overcast weather. Grey is my favorite color. Stephen, pack your bag 'cause we are becoming Irish!

However, I made a grave mistake when I stepped off the plane. I didn't go down the hallway marked airport exit. Nope, I walked down the path that said connecting flights. Because brilliant me was part zombie and was all 'hey, I have a connecting flight!' For those of you who didn't know my original plan. I was planning on taking the bus into Dublin and spending my 8 hour layover being a tourist and taking pictures and eating food and maybe getting a pint. 'Cause you can't come to Ireland and not have a beer. I feel like that is in the fine print when you buy a ticket here.

Now I am stuck in the airport. It's not so bad though. I find people are very nice here and quite lovely to chat with. I made my first purchase with euro currency (and it was for my first meal!) I got a meal deal offered at Boots. Sandwich (Three halves of different kinds, yogurt with granola and strawberries, and a Ribena drink. All quite delicious and only for €4! Not too shabby!

My flight to Madrid isn't until 16:20. So, I am left wandering the airport. I feel a bit like Tom Hanks from that one movie. I can't wait to actually step out of the airport though!

Yay! Pictures!

BOARDING

You heard me!

An Adventure Begins!

Hmmm, I am not sure where to begin this post. I guess Saturday is a good day to start about.

I know where I will start. I want to apologize to all the people who are sadden that I didn't say goodbye to. I am very sorry, but fret not my friends! I am not going away forever! I am pretty sure the EU would send me back to your open arms if I stayed longer than I was suppose to. Plus, I don't want to risk not being able to get back into Europe so I will be home in just a few short months. I've gotten a lot of texts with sad faces because people wanted to see me before I left. I'm sorry I couldn't see you all, but I will see you when I return! Besides, I really hate goodbyes. I mean I really hate them. I get all panicked when I know goodbyes are coming up. I could just be visiting a friend's and still I become filled with anxiety when I know I should be saying goodbye soon. So, soon I will come home and tell you all hello and give you a big hug!

Okay, so Saturday morning my lovely boyfriend made me pancakes for breakfast as that was the day he would see me. The pancakes were delicious by the way. Good job Stephen! It was a nice breakfast for the two of us (besides being at 6am because he had to go to work, and I wanted to beat the heat on my drive up to Placerville). However, you'll never guess what happened when I said goodbye. Did you guess cry? If so, you are correct. I cried (just thinking about it is making me tear up). I dried my tears and started driving up to my grandma's. Along the drive I cried again. Surprise! I'll just tell you that there were a lot of tears and a lot of packing going on that day. My padre came down and hung out with me, and my dear friend Jenae also came over to spend some time with me before I left.  Oh, and Stephen was able to get the day off on Sunday! So, that was a very good piece of news. He came up that night and we went up to Tahoe with my family for dinner. When we got back Stephen and I worked on decorating picture frames for each other. They came out wonderful! Ill edit this post later and add pictures of them.

The next morning was... Sunday! It was the day I was leaving for Boston.  It felt weird...like it wasn't really happening. Stephen drove me to the airport and dropped me off. We said our goodbyes and I cried yet again. Oh yes, there was more of that. I checked in and made my way across the United States. When I landed in Boston my grandma surprised me with a hotel room an Omni Parker House in downtown Boston. It was such a neat hotel, and the bed was HUGE. I didn't want to get out of it in the morning! I did eventually dragged myself out and wandered the city. I walked the Freedom trail. That was quite the experience. Especially because I grew up reading books about American history! It was so humid and muggy though! Not appreciated. Oh, and I tripped down the stairs at the subway on my way to the airport and broke my suitcase handle. Perfect. Fortunately, I can still use it to pull my suitcase. It just bends...a lot. Currently, I am at the airport waiting for my flight to Dublin. It is my first flight to Europe and it doesn't feel real. I can't possible be going to Europe. That is just something i've daydreamed about for years. I don't think I will believe it until I get there.

On a side note, I've been so excited and nervous that I forget to eat! Yesterday, I had lunch with Stephen, but I didn't eat until I got to the hotel at 1:40am and that was just a sandwich I had picked up in Chicago. Today, I got bubble tea but didn't eat until I got another sandwich here at the airport just a bit ago. I guess I am just waiting for all the delicious food in Europe.

I think that is all I have to update for now. I want to thank all my friends and loved ones for their support! Your words of encouragement and your shared excitement for me really mean a lot.  Truly! The next time I update this I will be in Europe (most likely Dublin as I have 8hrs there).

Until then!

Just a Quick Note

I just received an email from my host mother. It was very short. It was mostly just confirming that she had received my flight information as she is the one picking me up on Tuesday. However, she added something that made me feel... Well, it made me feel really good about what I am doing. She told me "Finally that emotion. Children are happy."

That probably doesn't make much sense to you, but to me it was very powerful. You see, they are dealing with something very tragic. Understandably, the kids have been having a very difficult time. It was the reason the mom wanted an au pair and the reason I almost wasn't able to go. The kids are devastated and trying to deal with those emotions. It is a hard and difficult process. It is something that takes time. But, the fact that the mom stated that my coming to Spain is making these kids happy makes me incredibly happy. They are always so excited to skype with me, and I can't wait to be able to hang out with them.

I really hope I can help these kids smile. I know there will be bad days. Days where they will be upset, but I want there to be days where they can laugh. Days that don't seem so dark. I will do my best to make sure these kids can be kids for a little bit longer.

Overwhelming

First, let me say that I love my family and friends dearly. I truly do! I will miss them while I am gone, but missing them doesn't quite compare to the thought of missing my boyfriend. I know that sounds like a terrible thing. It's not that I love my family and friends less. It is just...different.

Just a bit ago, I discovered that my boyfriend couldn't take me to the airport on Sunday. I immediately started crying. I realized that tonight is my last time to spend time with him for quite a while. I was set on him taking me and being able to spend Saturday and Sunday together that it just blindsided me.

I know the time will go by in the blink of an eye, and we will be communicating in so many ways made possible by technology. I've already told him I am going to facetime him (he doesn't like skype) twice a day everyday. His response? "No." Men... But, we have email, facetime, and lovely international stamps. Plus, with handy apps on our phones I can even text him over wifi. So, there will be plenty of communication.

Not to mention that I have already made some friends who are au pairs in Madrid that I will spend some of my free time with. They seem like an awesome group of girls! I am excited to build friendships with these individuals who come from different parts of the world. How amazing is that?

Lots of couples do long distance for both short and long periods. Ours will be a short time apart. I just need to concentrate on that. It is a few months out of the hundreds that we will have together. It helps I think to look at it like that. It also helps that he is being incredibly supportive of me. I truly appreciate that.  And, as some of the girls were saying: distance makes the heart grow fonder.

Sorry for this emotional little post dear reader. I feel better now though. Writing, it is very therapeutic.

Sweet Relief

Okay, remember when I was worried and pretty stressed out yesterday? In case you don't, I was basically extremely worried that I wouldn't be able to go to Spain this summer. I know, I know. Not the end of the world, but it would still make me quite sad. It would be like taking a toy away from a toddler. You can't do that without tears. Trust me. I've worked as nanny for over five years. Anyways, I am here to tell you those fears have been put to rest.

I received an email today from the agency saying that everything had been cleared up, and that they were sending me papers tomorrow to sign. They instructed me to email my host mother to find out when I should arrive in Spain (as she is picking me up). I sighed a huge sigh of relief and did a little excited dance. To be fair, my employer was practically dancing with excitement with me. I love how everyone is so excited for me and just so supportive.

Oh! And, my host mother and I have been emailing each other too! I am really excited to get to know her family and become a part of it. The kids are adorable (as previous mentioned), and I can tell I am going to have so much fun with them. Also, the agency stated that my host mother loves me and really wants me to come out after speaking with me. I am really happy about that! I was scared that my host family wouldn't like me. To which all of my friends responded with "who doesn't love you Laikien?!" My friends are obligated to say that as my dear friends though...

Well, I just sent off an email asking my host mother when I should arrive in Spain. I found a reasonable flight so I hope to hear from her soon so I can buy the ticket! Eek! I can't believe I will be buying a ticket soon! Egads!

Have I mentioned that I am excited?

PS: I made a friend already with a girl who just arrived in Spain earlier this week. She is working as an au pair too! Can't wait to meet her and hopefully be able to explore the city a bit.

A Bit Worried

Do you ever just have that horrible, gut wrenching feeling that something is going to go wrong? That is how I am feeling right now. I feel like I keep running into bumps that cause me to worry that maybe I won't be able to go to Spain this summer. I know it wouldn't be the end of the world, but I would be deeply sadden at the missed opportunity.

First, there was something going on with the family that put a delay on things. I am not sure what exactly. I was told last night that something happened, but they were okay now. That was a few hours after my first skype session with the family yesterday. According to both the family and the agency they really want me to come out to Spain. However, it still put the process on hold for quite a bit because the agency didn't want to move forward until I had spoken with the family.

Now the process is on hold again because apparently the agency cannot reach my references. I find that so strange because I know the people I used as references are very reliable individuals. I don't know if this was a no-no, but I sent an email to those three individuals and asked if they had been contacted yet. I just want the ball to keep rolling so I can get out to Spain. It is incredibly worrisome to me. I know that running into complications is just a natural part of life, but still...

Oh, so all three individuals have contacted me and stated that they have not been contacted by telephone as of yet. I am not quite sure what to make of that because I was told someone had been trying in the afternoons to call and was unsuccessful in reaching them. My mind is going a bit crazy right now with reasons why this is happening.

To top it all off for you guys. I was suppose to skype with the family today, but they never came online. More than likely they just got busy or the kids fell asleep as it was 10pm their time. However, with all that is going on I just took it as meaning something is going on. I don't know what, but whatever it is it is working against me going to Spain. Siiigh... Maybe I can just hide in a cottage in the countryside of Scotland for the rest of my life.

Just a quick update...

I will go into more depth later tonight. I just wanted to let you know that I skyped my kids in Spain today, and I am in love. They were so funny and just absolutely adorable! I am really excited to go, and they are excited for me to come!

Drat!

I have been waiting for over a week now to be able to skype the family that I will be living with for the summer. It's a single parent family so understandably the mom is extremely busy, and it is hard to get a time when she can skype with the children. Especially considering the 9 hour difference in time! When it is 2pm here it is 11pm in Spain! She emailed me today asking if I could be online in an hour. That was at 12:30pm. I didn't see her email until I had the kids I nanny down for their naps at 3:40pm. I felt horrible! Thankfully, we are going to try again at 1pm. I will be working and the kids I watch will be up still, but I guess they will meet my host family as well. Don't worry, I already asked both mothers if that arrangement would work. I have to say that I am pretty excited to meet my host family!I shall update tomorrow how it goes!

Last Week in the States

Wow, I just realized that I have exactly one week left in the States. How did the time go by so fast? It doesn't seem like a month has already gone by. Don't get me wrong, I am incredibly excited to leave for Spain. It is just weird that it is happening in just a couple more days. It is just now hitting me that this is for reals. I am really going to be boarding a plan and flying to an entirely new continent and country.

I would be lying if I said I wasn't a bit nervous; because, I am getting pretty nervous. I've only flown internationally once and that was to Japan. I was so nervous to go through customs. Thankfully, my uncle had sent me an email that went into great detail about what I could expect. That helped settled my nerves a bit. Funny story actually. When I went to Japan it was when H1N1 was scaring the world, and Japan was being very careful with outbound and unbound flights. When my flight touched down in Tokyo there were two men in full hazard suits that came aboard and checked passengers for signs of sickness. They couldn't speak English, and I couldn't speak Japanese. So, they were forced to play a game of charades with me. I can tell you that it didn't help my anxiety about going through customs! Thankfully, I wasn't sick and I sailed through customs. At the other side, my family who lives in Tokyo was waiting to pick me up.

That won't be the case this time. I will be figuring out how to take public transportation to where I need to go! I think I will be able to do it, because I figured out the public transportation system in Japan. They have an amazing transportation system that is so convenient and easy to use. I loved it! Also, I am getting incredibly nervous about going through customs. Maybe it's because you hear stories about people have nightmarish experiences or how horrendous it is portrayed in movies. I am not looking forward to that part at all. I just keep imagining it going terribly wrong. Okay, I need to just take a deep breath! Everything will be fine! Right?

This Awkward Girl is Heading to Europe!

Hello lovely internet people. Or, maybe I am just saying hello to the vastness of the world wide web. I’d like to think someone out there is reading my random words.

You don’t know this, but it has been my dream to travel since I was a child. As long as I can remember I have had a passion for traveling. I haven’t had a terrible amount of travel experience; however, the experience I have had I am so thankful for. Where have I been? Well, I have been all over the United States, all over Canada, and Japan.

In high school, I applied for a scholarship to go to Germany for a year. I was a finalist and about to head to my final interview. Unfortunately, my mother decided last minute that it was too dangerous and would not let me go. I was devastated, but always figured I would go during college.

Fast forward a couple years and soon I was in college. I was eager for the chance to study abroad. However, yet again complications arose. At this point in my life my great-grandparents health had taken a turn for the worse. I couldn’t leave the country with them so ill. So, again my plans to go abroad were put on a pause. I did manage a trip to Japan in the summer of 2009. It was an amazing experience and I fell in love with the people and the culture. I am thankful that I did not study abroad because I was here with my great-grandparents to the very end. I owe so much to those two. They were always there for me, and I have such wonderful memories of them.

In 2012, I graduated from university. I figured that was that. I had missed my chance to ever live abroad. I was incredibly sadden by the idea. It probably did not help that I had already been thrown into a depression after my great-grandmothers death the fall of 2011. I tried to cheer myself up by saying that I could always travel later on in life. It was hard to see that happening when I had just decided not to go to law school that coming fall.

Fast forward a year and now we are in the present. My year off from school is almost over. I am scheduled to go back next fall with still no clue to what I want to do for the rest of my life. It’s a heavy decision picking a career that you will be in for the next…50 or so years. Yet, we are suppose to make that decision before we are even 22! Ha! But, that is another post for another time!

Last weekend I went to go see one of my best friends that I haven’t seen in over a year. She had gone to Thailand herself to teach English. She had just gotten back that week. We had a fantastic time catching up as we spend a beautiful Sabbath in Yosemite. That same Saturday night her parents had a dinner with some fellow Church members. My friend and I really didn’t want to go, but her parents took us anyways. I am so glad that they did. It was there that I met they lady who asked me a question that would get the ball rolling. “Would you like to work in Spain this summer” is what she asked me. I didn’t even really think about it. I just said “Yes! Of Course!” Because who wouldn’t want to work in Spain for the summer?

The next day I get an email from her friend who lives in Spain. He was looking for an Au Pair to teach English to three children. We had our first skype interview session a couple weeks ago, and I am having one with the family this week. If everything works out as it should then I will be in Europe by the end of the month! I am beyond excited for this amazing opportunity!

I am creating this blog to write about my time and experience in Spain for my family, friends, and any other lovely people that stumble upon my blog. I will be posting pictures as well! I am really looking forward for this trip and can’t wait to share it with you!